Pirate Camp at Van Aid........Feb. 2022

[abnorm]

Pirate Camp is moving to the Van Aid event on Plomosa Rd in Quartzsite AZ.........the event runs til the 13th

NorthCountryBen is already waiting.........Heron is headed that way........Maki will arrive later today........and MORE

What's that ?.................200 years experience.............Geez we're getting Old

Finishing Jacque's "stolen van" is one of our projects.......besides stealing all her stuff the thieves smashed the Ford's hood over the battery........Metal exterior.....fiberglass interior..........so the f'glass is all cracked.....JB WELD to the rescue.....



We met JAY at HDRs memorial camp........an Arizona Nomad......needs a custom folding Bed/Chair......
He's going Blind....SO HE ALSO NEEDS A DRIVER !??????


All are WELCOME at Pirate Camp............come say Aarrrrrr!

 

[maki2]

Will be there! I can help with the fiberglass repair. Have done lots of that on my own 50 year old fiberglass trailer and a fiberglass motorhome.

My screen room will be going up for use as both a work and gathering space. Also have a sewing machine that can do some canvas or curtains projects.

 

[abnorm]

Wow.....what a big event.......Tyll (Putts to the forum)......Hosts a great event...Nomad Center Camp

Here he simply gathers Nomads together......Provides some communication/organization (11 am meet and greet)
as well as entertainment in the evening

But otherwise let Builders meet Individual Nomads who each have their own very unique requirements..........

In the AM.......People meet around tables at Center Camp......."Carpentry.......Sewing........Mechanical......and Electrical"........and TALK......... Problems arise and Solutions appear and a repair/install/friendship is underway

(BUT Damn! we see a lot of scary/garbage being purchased/sold these days)

We must have had 20 Consultations or Jobs........Everybody here in Camp was BUSY today ! I never saw half of the repairs made today........first thing this morning Ben was under Mary's shuttle bus QUIETING a diesel heater fuel pump.....I saw Liz rebuilding an RV door/latch........Brian was caulking a roof......Maki was busy working in her Clam

We almost finished Jacque's "stolen van".....good/better than before.......DCDC charger......outlets........cabinette

Paul got a Bed built in his car but now it's parked in the desert with a broken Clutch Pedal........There are a couple Welders out-here........Yea!..........We still have to get his car back here to camp

Jae is camping here for a "customer" designed sitting/sleeping chair...Oh-Lots-of-moving-parts
We met and invited him from HDR's Memorial Camp....(Shhhhh! He's from Outer Space)......

and Mary needs the custom-van-interior-she-paid-for......REMOVED and rebuilt correctly.....crazy PICTURES soon

Ben brought his Table Saw !...........Our playing card is full for a few days..............I think Cammalu and Sleep are headed this way..........Come On Down !

 

[abnorm]

It's almost a week here now.............we move tomorrow for groceries and water/dump

We've been busy with multiple-day continuing projects and "Quickies".....
"Busy as a peg-legged pirate in an ass kicking contest".............Until today we've had a great time

Materials are expensive and hard to get.................

One of our "clients" ordered/PAID for her Wood from Lowes in Havassu City for a Large group Pick-up..........
4-half sheets of Plywood were seen loaded in video footage..........Nobody else ordered half sheets !

Somebody........Some "Nomad" in camp had the balls to walk up and claim the plywood as theirs .....Delivery was all on the "Honor System"...............

 

[WanderingRose]

Such a good thing y’all are doing down there, abnorm, and thanks to all who are stepping up.

 

[abnorm]

An "a-non-a-mouse" donor gifted two sheets of plywood to replace the missing.....................Thank You

 

[NctryBen]

A non a mouse... good one Doug! Very thankful to be amongst some of the nicest people you could ever meet. Even if some ain’t right and proud of it.
Whatever generator was running all night over in another wash... wow, my 5000 watt gen would have been a quieter solution... maybe their running it to drown out the coyote singing...

 

[abnorm]

Nice Avatar !..........................I wondered who had the Genny running

 

[tx2sturgis]

Thanks for all the updates....keep 'em coming......

 

[Morgana]

Thanks for all the updates....keep 'em coming......

Ditto. I'm loving reading these.

 

[Cammalu]

There is a guy giving paraglider rides for $40. All goes back to Putts (his shindig) to help with the costs of materials and parts for those who can’t afford it. Starry nights has taken some awesome pics. I’ll twist his arm and make him post them.

We parked a bit away from the crowd so we can let the cats out to play in a wash. No mice holes for them to watch so mostly they relax under a little tree.

Took a puttputt trip up into the hills. I saw what looked like a lot of natural caves. Anyone want to ride up and stick their arm in to see what’s in there? I looked for the bighorns as I know they are here but I didn’t spot them.

Going to do a bit of rock hunting too. Bouse has green banded rhyolite among others. John found an awesome moss rock Jasper??? Anyway he found it here a few years ago. He had some sliced. I grabbed a slice in October and sent it to someone for a knife. He got it for Christmas.

 

[abnorm]

Ditto. I'm loving reading these.

Hey Tx........Morgana........Thanks for the shout-out.....Wasn't sure if anybody cared.......We've got more Photos to show as we slow down here........Post-event

Today was the Social day.....Potluck.....Music.........most of our camp elected to stay in camp.......JacqueG went !
We're OLD.........COVID is still on the rise in this county.......There's a lot of people here

We heard the Music and the gathered crowd Loved it !.......still going on at Midnite

Camp ordered Take-out.....Chinese from the StageCoach in Quartzsite....a new place and worth checking out !

This week we finally finished our Alien friend JAI.........He found a nice discarded passenger seat at the event and asked us to replace his driver's seat.........First try was using the existing Ford seat base and an A-dap-tor plate to the seat.....WRONG too tall! The guy is huge........

Ultimately we adapted the new seat and base to the Ford bolt pattern........sandwiching the base between heavy steel..........Super strut........and the existing bolts.........Broke my favorite 1/2" drill bit in the process

I had some PLUMBING projects today.....UGH ! An RV that has seen way too many "creative" repairs
A new shurflo Pump and a few fittings and they were back to running water........IF only that was the case of all their troubles...............

This week Mary got more paneling on her walls......new vinyl flooring.........a wall supported bed (replacing the forest of studs a "carpenter" framed under the bed).....and finally today her sink base cabinet from the Desert Cabinet Shop.............."film at 11"

Tomorrow we continue on SLEEP's cute little Vintage travel trailer.......This year she's painted the outside with a yellow sunburst and a deep blue "wainscote".........Vintage Crafty..........We removed the unused Furnace and an Ice Box to better use the space.........Capping and changing gas lines as necessary

We build out the resulting "Pantry" tomorrow

JacqueG's "StoleVan" is almost re-complete...........Her new lithium setup is charged from her old Solar....as well as a new DCDC Charger............a new small cabinet with electronic ports....cig and USB........flanks the Bed.....
I forgot to install a fuse the other day leaving them OFF....She texted me "I'm VERY fond of those next to the bed"

We had to "Glue" her engine hood/liner back together.....JBWELD to the rescue.....worked fine

Four more days........Pantry.....a "Milk-Crate" cabinet and frame..........a ceiling fan to cut and install.........

Ben leaves us tomorrow for the Cold of Minnesota

 

[maki2]

I was busy building my cabinet drawers while I had the use of NcntryBen's tablesaw. That was very much appreciated Ben!

Too windy today for working outside although I could do some work inside my popup screen room. It has been reinforced to handle the 40 + mph gust. Not at all windy inside with the screen zipped up. It also keeps out almost all of the blowing dust.

On second thought I think I will just be mostly lazy this afternoon and evening. But I will take time to see if the vaccum I got at the thrift store this afternoon will run using my little 1,000 watt Honda generator.

 

[abnorm]

Ben has reported in from Kansas City with a "Broken Trailer Spring"...........1000miles to go............

 

[jacqueg]

As a primary beneficiary of Abnorm's work ethic, I'd like to say that my van has indeed been Built Back Better. It's worth waiting for him to have the time to get to you. There are lots of people who will help you with all sorts of things. There are fewer who know how to do it right the first time.

Thanks, Doug. For everything.

 

[abnorm]

Awwwwww (blushing)...............You're Welcome

 

[abnorm]

Let's see what's been going on in Jacque's van





The Fridge platform is built on the seat mounting bolts for the Passenger seat


The Battery box sits in the footwell of the passenger seat.....the platform secures the box.......extra long wires (service loop) allow the box to be moved for van servicing


Here's a small bedside cabinet to store the essentials



A small tray protects the electrical connections.......a perfect phone charging station.......USB right there



And a better look inside the battery box



and finally an organizer for some milk crates.......the 2 dresser drawers were stolen and were replaced with a shelf and totes

 

[abnorm]

More to show..................Jacque's DCDC charger needs a vehicle battery connection.......We cut a hole thru the firewall and added a grommet for two battery wires and a signal wire

The original terminal was replaced with this military style (THX HDR)

A slug of copper was shaped and bolted in place

Now the new cable has a place to land

More mechanical...........Our assignment......mount this seat to those stud patterns

We couldn't change the stud locations in the van so we needed an A-dap-tor plate.......cut from some super strut

It was successful

 

[Carla618]

Wow.....what a big event.......Tyll (Putts to the forum)......Hosts a great event...Nomad Center Camp

So kind of everyone to do this. Are the van builds an annual event?

 

[user 423]

More mechanical...........Our assignment......mount this seat to those stud patternsView attachment 30662

We couldn't change the stud locations in the van so we needed an A-dap-tor plate.......cut from some super strut

So will the PS seat go back in the original location? Or be mounted somewhere else?